Iranian liberal charges regime with repression

By
With Analysis Monitor Correspondents Around The World,
Edited By Clara Germani /
October 9, 1981

Former Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan accused Iran's fundamentalist regime of sacrificing the nation's youth in a terrifying repression. In a stunning public challenge to the hard-line Islamic regime of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Mr. Bazargan, the first postrevolutionary prime minister and its last remaining liberal voice, was shouted down in parliament Wednesday by enraged deputies who screamed, "He is American" and "Death to the American lackey."

The speech led to a call for a purge of liberal parliament members. There was speculation Bazargan would lose his seat in parliament. Present rules governing the legislature provide for no expulsion procedure, but a bill was reportedly being drafted to deal with the question of removing members.